Phillies Catching Prospect Andrew Knapp Caught in Middle of Logjam
The Phillies have several talented catchers in the upper-minors and in the major-leagues, and Andrew Knapp is caught right in the middle of it all.
The Phillies seemingly stumbled backwards into catching depth in 2015. They acquired Jorge Alfaro in the Cole Hamels trade, the No. 1 catching prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, both in 2015 and 2016. Also, Andrew Knapp emerged as a solid catching prospect after hitting 13 home runs and posting a .876 OPS between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Finally, Cameron Rupp emerged as the starting catcher at the major-league level in place of Carlos Ruiz.
Rupp, Knapp, and Alfaro were evenly split across levels in 2016 as Rupp was in the majors, Knapp was with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and Alfaro was with Double-A before a September call-up.
This kicked the can of a logjam down the road as they were all able to get plenty of at-bats last year. However, it is starting to get backed up as all three players are expected to be at Triple-A or in the majors this season. General manager Matt Klentak said:
“Andrew Knapp just finished age 25 season in Triple-A. He has a full year of at-bats in Triple-A. At some point for both he and Alfaro we’re going to have to find out what those guys can do at the big league level. During 2017 we’ll have to find out – not just about those two guys – but others.”
Knapp is expected to be Rupp’s backup at the major-league level while Alfaro would return to Triple-A, likely for the full season barring an injury to one of Rupp or Knapp.
Those three are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, and it’s hard to see the club bringing in any outside catchers and adding them to the 40-man at the expense of someone else.
As Rupp’s backup, Knapp won’t have as many at-bats as Alfaro in 2017, although they will be against major-league pitching. Meanwhile, Alfaro will get the lion’s share of playing time at Triple-A and plenty of at-bats in the process.
Knapp is already behind Alfaro in prospect rankings. Alfaro ranked No. 3 on Baseball America’s most recent prospect rankings, while Knapp did not place in the top ten. Knapp is the No. 11 prospect on MLB.com’s prospect list, but Alfaro is No. 4.
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With Knapp likely falling behind Alfaro in playing time in 2017, it doesn’t bode well for his development, especially considering his lackluster defense behind the plate. He needs everyday appearances to improve his defense, at least if Knapp has any chance of becoming a starting catcher. His bat likely won’t play up to a starting position in the outfield or at first base, so it seems to be catcher or bust for Knapp.
With less playing time and in turn less development for Knapp, Alfaro would be able to widen his lead as the Phillies catcher of the future. Come 2018, Alfaro and Knapp will likely be going to head-to-head for the starting catching job in the majors.
Alfaro already has the advantage, and he would be even farther ahead at that time.
However, trading away Rupp would solve this, leaving the starting catching job open for Knapp to take. On the other hand, this would force the team to gamble that one of Alfaro or Knapp will be a major-league caliber starting catcher as well as the other being a suitable backup. With Rupp already proving he can be a backup at worst, if not a solid everyday player, trading Knapp might wind up being the best course of action for the Phillies.
Knapp is a talented offensive player, but his defense leaves his future as a catcher for Philadelphia in doubt. Coupled with the presence of two arguably better catchers, and Knapp might be the odd one out when it comes down to deciding who will stay and who will go.
